


Give a cheer for the Fallen Hero

by Ihasmagma



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anxiety, Aquaphobia, But he flew to close to the sun, Depression, Dream and Techno are Childhood Best Friends, Drug Use, Eret uses they/them, Goat Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Grief, If you ship anyone but bad and skeppy or Sally and Wilbur I will steal ur kneecaps, Lava - Freeform, Magma cube Tommyinnit, Phil has wings, Ranboo has Anxiety, Sad Floris | Fundy, Sort Of, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Toby Smith | Tubbo Has Horns, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Traitor Niki, Trauma, Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), he thinks he’s the hero, if GeorgeNotFound isn’t present assume he is asleep, phobia of potions, phobia of water, so did Wilbur, tommy angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:20:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ihasmagma/pseuds/Ihasmagma
Summary: Tommy hates water.Tommy loves lava.Everyone can’t unsee lava as his grave.(Now an actual book! And no Tommy isn’t dead don’t worry)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Philza Watson & Technoblade & Ghostbur
Comments: 11
Kudos: 320





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tw: Aquaphobia, suicide attempt, grief.

The nether was as hot as ever when Tommy stepped into it, walking away from the portal that lead back to his home (if he could call it that)

He sighs, taking off the heavy jacket he wore every day now. It was hard to keep warm without Dream, and the jacket's hood loosely helped with it. Plus it was the only thing he had left of his brother, so he had to protect it at all cost. 

He wrapped the jacket around his waist and walked down the bridge, ignoring the ghast’s moans around him, and the piglins speech. 

As he walked closer to the point of the bridge that had a sign saying “This way to L’Manburg” he took off his shoes.

Some might ask, why would you ever go to the nether with no shoes or armor?

Well if you’re Tommy, you’re praying to be killed already.

It’s funny to think about. He went from being a tornado nearly everyone had feared, someone so loud and abrasive that even his own best friend had disliked, to being…

This.

It’s weird, Wilbur went insane, in the isolated world of exile, letting paranoia and mania take over his mind, while Tommy lost all motivation to even get up some mornings. He would just sit there, in his horribly made tent, and zone out for hours, not even crying anymore. 

It felt empty, his life.

Somehow, he didn’t mind though.

‘It’s better this way, Tommy. Everyone hated your attitude, you were an annoyance!’ Dreams voice echoed through the teenager’s mind.

He tossed a small piece of Netherrack into the lava, watching it sink to the bottom of the ocean.

It had been months since he willingly went into water. He didn’t know why, but every time he went into the water, his whole body would begin shaking and he would lose all sense of reality.

_ “Dream please! We can talk about this! You don’t have to do this!” The boy screamed as the man pushed the weakness potion into the boy’s body, shoving him into the water until he passed out from lack of air. _

_ Then when he woke up, the regeneration potions were the next step, then back into the water. _

_ It was always water. _

Tommy hated water.

He played with his compass, hanging around his neck, loosely dangling from a string he got from a spider. It still pointed somewhere, even in the Nether.

He didn’t know how, but it did.

The lava looked so warm and inviting. Sometimes he would take fire resistance potions with him, and just lay in the lava, letting himself sink in it for hours. Sometimes Dream came too. But Dream always pulled him out, a worried look on his face as he tells Tommy that what he’s doing is so fucked up…

Tommy didn’t even care anymore.

He sighed, building a small staircase down, straight to the lava. He wanted to touch it.

He let his fingers play with the lava, the burning sensation making his eyes water. 

‘Still better than the feeling of water. Water is evil, water will kill you. Can't trust water. Can't trust potions. Can't trust yourself.

He wondered, what would it be like to just jump in? Just let the lava take his life, it would feel nice most likely. Safe. 

Would anyone miss him?

Probably not.

He didn’t bother bringing any potions with him anymore, as they always made him start shaking and gasping for air (like he was underwater)

Would Ghostbur even understand why he did this?

‘No, Tommy, Ghostbur was never real. It was your imagination. You’re hallucinating again, Tommy.’ Dream would say.

It’s crazy to imagine the time he spent in exile, with no one to see but Dream. A year… with Dream. 

He had to admit, sometimes he forgot why he was even in exile, but Dream always reminded him. Reminded him how awful he was.

But Dream was his friend.

He didn’t deserve to deal with someone like Tommy.

No one does.

Then Tommy took a deep breath, getting up, looking around, a smile beginning to brew on his face. It felt good to smile.

It’s going to be all over.

He took one step, letting his leg be submerged in lava, and then threw himself in.

He didn’t even notice the Totem of Undying thrown at him.

It was all over.

  
  
  


From afar, a man fell to his knees screaming. 

“I am not losing another son!”

He ran down the netherrack, tears falling down his cheeks as he threw down a totem of undying, praying to Ender it saves his son.

“Come on Tommy come on come on DONT YOU DARE DIE ON ME-“

But it was no use.

No one came.

Tommy was dead.

  
  


That night, as techno opened the door for his father, Ghostbur happily preparing the table, Phil hugged his brother.

“What is this?” Techno asked, uncomfortably. Phil knew of Technos social anxiety when it came to touch, so what was this?

“He’s gone, Techno.”

“Who?” 

“Tommy.”

Techno pulled away, shaking his head in disbelief. How could that ball of energy and confidence…. die?

He took off his pig mask, letting his actual face show. It was near identical to Wilbur’s, but paler, with red eyes from the years of living with the Piglins.

“Suicide. He jumped in the lava.”

Ghostbur walks up to them, “what happened to Tommy?”

Phil put a hand at his middle son’s cheek, whispering, “he’s dead Wil.”

Ghostbur shook his head, “no no that can’t be, he can’t be dead, you’re- YOURE LYING!” He shouted, blue tears falling streaming down his face.

“Wil-“ techno began.

“HE CAN'T DIE! HE CANT! He CAN’T!” Ghostbur shouted, crying into Philzas chest.

Another death for the Watsons.

From the lava emerged a boy with blonde hair, eyes looking like liquid lava, and white pupils.

The lava no longer burned.

Not like water.

  
  
  



	2. Apparently I’m continuing this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We’re continuing apparently WHOOP!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: suicide, drug use, mental instability, traumatized children

The boy walked through the snow, feeling the cold water make his body ache.

He didn’t know how long he could do this…

But where would he ever find someone to help?

“I… I can’t keep…” then he fell into a deep sleep.

  
  


Tubbo sighed, fixing his tie, walking down the street, looking around at the beautiful Christmas decorations.

He walked into a flower shop, owned by a woman named Hannah.

“Mr. president! What do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Ah, good morning Hannah! I was wondering if you had any carnations?” Tubbo asked, keeping his smile tightly held. Don’t let them see your messed up side.

“Yep! How many?” She asks, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes.

“Just one, it’s for my room!” 

She smiles and hands him one in a nice little pot.

“Thank you, and do you have any Pot Weed?”

Hannah stops, frowning. “That’s the fifth time this week…”

“I ran out, and I need more,” Tubbo itched the back of his neck.

She sighs, grabbing some and handing them to the president.

“What do you even use these for? Last I checked their only purpose was potions to get high off of.”

“Yeah, well they help calm me down…”

“Well as long as you know, these are really addictive, I’ve met many who took too many potions and-“ she closes her eyes tightly. “Be careful.”

“I will have a good day! Merry Christmas!” He hands her some gold nuggets.

She sighs, putting them in her glass bowl, and watches as the man walks out of the shop.

How could a president lead if he was getting high constantly?

“Maybe Puffy might be able to help.”

Phil had been spending most of his nights out and about. Perhaps it was for the pain that was found from dwelling so long in the house. He didn’t know how many hours he spent in Tommy’s room.

He Sometimes  always blames himself. If he hadn’t been so focused on helping Techno, on continuing the Antarctic Anarchist clan, he could have helped them.

His two broken sons.

What was he thinking? How did a son raised to distrust the government, end up losing his life to his own country he founded?

How sad was that.

A part of him wished he could time travel. Back to the past. Before his wings were chopped off by the very boy he helped raise, before his son was to be murdered for no reason but the prejudice against people like them, before his son was cursed by foolish villagers who thought they could hurt him, before his son flew too close to the sun and was burned, before his son jumped into lava with a smile on his face.

Where did he go wrong?

No. 

He knew where he went wrong.

And he knows he will never be able to repair it.

As he continued walking, trying to focus on the present, he couldn’t help but notice the world had lost its color. It all felt grey. Dull. 

But In the near distance, he saw a boy laying in the snow.

He ran to him, and gasped.

It was Tommy.

  
  


Eret was concerned.

It was no secret they held lots of admiration for the pink haired baker. She had been the first to forgive them, the first to let them into her home and help him get on their feet.

And now she was losing her mind.

“I’m going to leave L’Manburg.”

Her words made them shiver. It sounded so similar to their thoughts when they made their worst mistake.

“Niki…”

“No it’s true! L’Manburg is rotten at its core, and we both know it. That damn tree, that damn flag, all it does is hurt and tear apart. Do you know how hard it is to watch one of your best friends get high every night and beg you to kill him because he hates himself? Do you know how hard that is?” She asks, her recently dyed pink hair was seeming less bright as it used to.

“I understand that! He’s my friend too! But where would we even go if not L’Manburg?” Eret asks, their voice filled with concern.

“I don’t know? The badlands?”

“Uh, let’s just say that place is more of a cult than a country,” Eret admitted. From what they have seen of that place, it was a borderline cult that worshipped an EGG.

“Maybe… Eret I have a secret. You can’t tell anyone this.”

Eret nodded.

“I have my own city.”

Erets eyes widened from behind his glasses.

“It’s called Scarlet City. I was building it underground, in case something happened to L’Manburg. We can go there, we can live there, you and I, and Fundy and Ranboo and Hannah and Puffy and anyone else!” She smiled.

“How do you know it won’t turn into L’Manburg?”

“Because… because I’ve been dealing with L’Manburg.”

Eret gulped. “What do you mean…?”

“Remember how Quackity was paranoid there was a traitor in the ranks? Someone working with Technoblade?” She asks, a wild spark in her eyes Eret had never seen before. What happened to the woman that’s biggest worry was protecting her friends?

“I’m the traitor. Or one of them.”

Eret bit his lip, “you’re going to regret this…”

“I’ve been making a group. Fundy, Ranboo, Hannah, Karl, they are all on my side with this. I’m going to burn down the L’Mantree, at the festival.

I’m burning down the damn city.”

  
  


The boy woke up in a bed, his eyes shocked by the bright red stone lights.

“You’re awake! Hi Tommy!” A cheery voice says, flying up to him.

“I… who are you? Where am I? Who's Tommy?” He asks, quickly, looking around anxiously. His clothes were torn, his skin a near greyish, with scars all around that had lava coloring. And his eyes… they were so… 

“You’re Tommy!” The ghost frowned, “do you forget things too?”

Tommy.

Yeah, that sounds right, the boy decided. “I guess so. Where am I?”

“You’re home! I’m your brother! Ghostbur!” He grins.

“Why are you a ghost?” Tommy asks, tilting his head.

Ghostbur stops smiling for a moment, “I…” then went back to smiling, as if he didn’t even hear the question. Maybe he forgot it.

Then a sound was heard, the door opening.

There was a man with long blonde hair walking into the room.

“Don’t be scared Tommy. It’s me, Phil.”

“Whose Phil?” Tommy asks the ghost.

“Oh! He’s our dad! We call him dadza!”

“Oh.” 

Tommy looks up at the man.

“How did you survive?” Phil asks, sitting beside the boy, “I saw you die…”

“I don’t fucking know? I just woke up in an ocean of lava!”

Phil bites his lip, “well you’re definitely not a ghost, hm, well have to see the Warped Priest about this, he may know… can I touch your scars?”

Tommy nodded.

Phil felt the cuts all over the boys arms, the one that were lava colored, but they didnt feel hot.

“Do you want some water maybe?” Phil tried to suggest, “we can get you regen potions, they might help with the cuts-“ he was cut off though, with a panicky scream,

“No potions!” Tommy looked… frightened.

Never in all the years Phil has known his son, has his son seemed  _ frightened. _

“What do you remember?” Phil asks gently, to not overwhelm Tommy.

“I just remember waking up lava, getting out of it, walking through the portal, and panicking about the water.”

“Water?”

“It scares me. Water equals death.” Tommy admits.

What was he talking about?

Perhaps it was due to his transformation?

“Okay, well, did the lava burn you?”

“No? It felt really warm and nice…” Tommy admitted.

Ghostbur gasped, “like blue!”

Phil looks back at the ghost, “what do you mean?”

“Well uh sometimes people use these things to cope, like how I like blue! And he likes lava!”

Tommy gulped, he didn’t like being looked at like that. With that horrible pity.

“Is there anyone else who lives here?” He asks.

“Yeah, your other brother, Techno.”

“Does he hate me too?” Tommy asks, sheepishly. Why was he being so quiet? What was going on?

“Why would he- no of course not. None of us do.”

Tommy nodded, but he didn’t seem to believe it.

“Want to see Friend? He might cheer you up!” Ghostbur suggested.

“Sure!” Tommy grinned, and Ghostbur flew through the door, and returned holding a blue sheep. Tommy looked up at him, “can I pet it?”

“Sure!”

“Hey there, Friend, I’m Tommy!” He pet the blue sheep.

“I’m gonna leave you boys to it. I need to talk to Techno.”

Then phil closed the door as he walked out, and took a deep breath.

So he had an amnesiac son who used blue dye to repress his issues, a dead son who has lava for eyes, and a piglin son.

We are a European family, he thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares, coups, festivals, welcome to the dream SMP.

Tubbo rubbed his eyes, where was he, why was he in the nether?

When did he get here?

Why were his horns so long?

He looked around himself, feeling lost, noticing something in the corner of his eye, making him turn. There was a ghostly figure who seemed confused.

His eyes widened as he screamed.

“Tommy!?” He ran up to the ghost, surprised to see him there in the nether, and looking like this.

“Who are you?” He asks, his voice soft and mellow, like it was drained of its energy, not like the Tommy’s he knew at all.

His eyes were a bright red, seeming as if they held pools of magma in them with tears of the thick and heavy substance dripping down his cheeks, glowing dimly.

“It-it’s me, tubbo…. What happened to you?”

He stayed silent, his magma like eyes seemed to shift in the direction of the lava below them, as if he was looking at it. “I wanna swim in it…” 

He mumbled to himself as if in a daze.

“No!” Tubbo screamed in horror, tugging Tommy away from the edge of the netherack, terrifying that if he let him any closer he would do it.

He didnt seem phased at all, his eyes shifting again in a mock pretend of looking in his direction 

“Why? It’s nice......" 

He trailed off.

"Hey, do you know where home is?”

Tubbo blinked owlishly at the question, tilting his head a bit, his brows furrowing. “home?”

“Yeah, I’m looking for my home. Hm, I miss Ghostbur." He seemed like he had said the last bit to himself, trailing off once again.

“Tommy… are you dead?” Tubbo asked hesitantly, afraid of the answear

“I- I think I should be. But I’m not…” he looks at his hand which was covered in multiple cuts, each of them glowing, driping with the same lava that was flowing down his cheeks.

“Oh my god… who did this to you?” Tubbo felt his knees become weak before he fell down on them, his stomach sick.

Then Tommy’s eyes got hauntingly dark as he smiled, with an empty smile that only Dream could give, he said something that chilled him to his bones, even in the unbearably hot weather of the nether 

“you did."

Then Tubbo woke up screaming.

Niki rushed in, “Tubbo are you okay?” She asks, concern filling her voice.

“Yeah- yeah I am. Niki, tell Dream I have to meet him immediately.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it!” He shouts. 

She nods, and walks out of his room.

He takes a deep breath, “what happened to you…”

He didn’t know if he was asking himself or Tommy.

Dream was absolutely pissed. Not only did Tommy kill himself, but he did it in the most ironic way imaginable. 

It was almost laughable.

When Dream found the boy's stuff on the bridge, he didn’t believe it at first. No way a loud mouth bother like him could have ended his own life… and yet? He did.

He had to admit, a part of him took joy in it, how far he had pushed the boy, while the other half, perhaps the black part of him was appalled. 

He sighed, taking off his mask, brushing his blonde hair back into a bun.

He didn’t have his mask off often. But when he did, it always felt wrong. Like he was vulnerable. He hated feeling vulnerable more than anything.

He misses Tommy, he decides. Don’t get him wrong, he hates the boy, deeply, but he also loves him, in a way that the Joker loves Batman. After all, what is chess without another player?

He didn’t want to have to break the news to Tubbo, he really didn't. The boy was already a weak ruler, abusing drugs and letting Quackity lead. If he found out what happened to Tommy? Well, L’Marburg would be completely in Quackity’s hands.

And Dream didn’t want that. After all, Quackity was not like Tubbo. He wasn’t as easy to control.

And Dream didn’t like not having control.

  
  


Tommy had spent the last few weeks playing with Ghostbur mostly. Phil had observed how clingy he was of the ghost, getting incredibly quiet without him.

He also noticed Tommy nearly never smiled, and when he did it was so small, that it could not belong to such a bright boy like Tommy.

Techno seemed to have noticed it too, since he came up to Phil, who was preparing their gear for a trip to see the Warped Priest and Piglin mage, and said, “who the fuck broke the raccoon?”

Phil couldn’t help but smile at the nickname. He remembered when his sons were young boys, Tommy would always dress up as a raccoon every Halloween, with Tubbo dressing as a bee. It got to the point where they were genuinely concerned he was part Racoon.

“I don’t know, but I know this, he’s not the same as the son I knew….” Phil admitted.

“No shit, the other day they were playing, and I pushed him into the water and I kid you not the kid started begging at my feet for my mercy.” Techno humphed.

“Perhaps it hurts him, since he’s made up of lava now?”

“I don’t know, but I know it’s weird. The Tommy I remember enjoyed swimming. Or at least he didn’t fucking have a heart attack at the mere mention of swimming in water!”

“Maybe your friend has answers,” Phil sighs.

“I doubt it, Yôzer is a great guy, but even he has his limits. Hope your Piglish is up to date too!” Techno smirked.

“Oh shut up, not all of us spent half of our adolescence living in a Piglin village!”

“Yeah, and whose fault is that?” Techno spat, as he put his mask back on.

“Why do you always have to wear that?” Phil frowned, “even around the boys.”

Techno didn’t answer.

Tommy wasn’t sure why they had to go to the weird pig village. Was this his home? He wanted to find home a lot. 

Ghostbur seemed to be fascinated by everything around him, and everyone seemed to welcome Techno with open arms.

As they stepped into the tall building built of bricks, they walked up the stairs, and there was a man sitting in a chair. He looked so much more ancient then the rest of the piglin.

“Ah, Blade, my old friend. What brings you and your family here?” He asks in a raspy voice.

“My brother,” he says, his piglish on point as usual.

He gestured to Tommy.

“Step forward,” the priest says to Tommy in English.

He steps up the priest.

He looks at him, fascinated. “How did this happen?”

“Tommy jumped into the lava, and I threw him a totem of undying but I think something happened in the lava,” Phil admitted.

“Do you remember anything boy?” 

Tommy shook his head.

“As expected. What Tommy went through is known as the metamorphosis.”

Techno gasps, “that can’t be! He’s only sixteen!”

“It has been voiced by our Endergod, he’s been chosen.”

“Chosen for what, Techno?” Tommy frowns.

“To… No- you’re fucking lying! He’s just a kid! Look, can we undo this?” He asks, frowning.

“Unfortunately no, his attempt at suicide in lava has permanently changed him. Perhaps Endergod decided to take mercy on the boy.”

Tommy hugged himself, “why do I feel so scared then?”

The Piglin shook his head, taking a deep breath, and closing his eyes, tapping his cane three times, before opening them once more.

“The masked man has hurt the boy.”

Technos fists clenched.

“He has activated an ancient changing unknowingly. Tell me, has your family ever had history in the nether?”

Phil bites his lip, “well my mother was a ghasts daughter, and my father was a sky man.”

The Piglin nodded, “of course. Did your mother have any magma cube in her?”

Phil gasped, “yes! Her father was a magma cube!”

“So it has been voiced. Tommy must have survived the lava through his magma heritage, perhaps fusing with the lava to create a new hybrid form.”

“I… why don’t I remember anything then?”

The Piglin shook his head, “that I do not know. But in all my experiences, ghosts often forget the memories they wanted to forget while alive.” Ghostbur looked away, shame brewing slightly.

“Is there any way to recover the memories?” Phil asks.

“Only if the ghost of I guess in this case, the person wants to recover them. Which most don’t.”

Phil nodded, a frown on his face, “one last question, does water hurt Tommy because of his magma heritage?”

The Piglin chuckled a bit, “no, it shouldn’t. But if he is deathly afraid of it, perhaps it is a psychological fear. I remember Techno had plenty of those,” Techno glared at the priest, “so keep that in mind. Now, if you don’t mind, I must get my rest soon. It was good seeing you though, old friend.”

Techno sighed, “you too.”

“And for Enders sake, take off that damn mask. I raised you!” The Piglin remarked.

Techno sighs, taking off the mask.

“That’s better. Now, off you go!”

  
  


That night, Tubbo couldn’t sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god guys, I wrote another one shot! I hope you guys enjoy this one. If you guys seriously do, I guess I could continue. I do have a rough plot(ish) for this? Thanks for reading! Make sure to comment what you thought!


End file.
